4.7 Why isn't Leto II called Leto III? (Dune)
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This article is from the Dune FAQ, by Alan Schwartz with numerous contributions by others.
4.7 Why isn't Leto II called Leto III? (Dune)
Paul and Chani have a son named Leto, who is killed by Sardaukar near
the end of "Dune_. In "Dune Messiah", Chani gives birth to another boy
who is also given the name Leto. This son later becomes the Emperor Leto
II. Some people have wondered why he isn't called Leto III, since there
had been two Letos before him: Paul's father the Duke, and Paul's first
son.
However, this would not be correct according to orthodox royal numbering
scheme. This system was introduced to distinguish between rulers by the
same name, not to identify normal family members. Therefore, only those
who ascend the throne are assigned a number. For instance, the father of
Richard III of England was Richard, Duke of York. Since he was never
king, he is not given a number.
The exception to this rule is Louis XVII of France. Because of the
French Revolution and Napoleon's Empire, he was never crowned and died
as a child. However, when his uncle Louis XVIII took the throne, Louis
XVII was included in the count, as a gesture that the Bourbon kings
didn't recognise the republican and imperial governments.
Another important point is that each nation keeps their own count. King
Henry IV of England is a quite different person from King Henry IV of
France. James VI of Scotland became James I when he ascended the English
throne. The numbers are not tied to the family: French Louises have come
from all royal families.
Normally, only sovereign rulers are numbered in this fashion. Nobles are
traditionally designated roughly in this way: Leto Atreides, first Duke
of Arrakis. However, the title is not necessarily tied to the land, so
Leto could very well be Duke of something else entirely. However, it is
not at all clear that Frank Herbert is following the traditional pattern
here.
We see that according to the accepted system, "Emperor Leto II" says
nothing about the names of his ancestors, but indicates that there has
been an Emperor Leto I. Such an Emperor is indeed mentioned in "The Dune
Encyclopedia_. However, even if Herbert was applying only a
pseudo-authentic scheme, where Duke Leto is supposed to be counted,
there is no way Paul's first son could be included, since he never held
a title of any kind.
Finally, the following quote from "Heretics of Dune" should be included
for the sake of completeness:
"She asks about God's family," Stiros said. "Why should she have to ask
about -"
"She tests us. Do we give them Their proper places? The Reverend Mother
Jessica to her son, Muad¿Dib, to his son, Leto II - The Holy Triumvirate
of Heaven."
"Leto III," Stiros muttered. "What of the other Leto who died at
Sardaukar hands? What of him?"
"Careful, Stiros," Tuek intoned. "You know my great-grandfather
pronounced upon that question from this very bench. Our Divided God was
reincarnated with part of Him remaining in heaven to mediate the
Ascendancy. That part of Him became nameless then, as the True Essence
of God should always be!"
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